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Anne Lamott tells a story about her father giving advice to her brother when he was in a panic over a school report he had to write about birds, which was due the next day. Her brother was overwhelmed by the size of the project, and was almost in tears. He didn’t know how where to start or how to write the report. Her father put his arm around his shoulder and said, “Bird by bird, Buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”

I love that advice. Starting new projects always intimidate me. I want them to be perfect, interesting, fun to work on, and productive. I want to see the final result, big and beautiful like I saw it in my head when I said, “Hey, I should try this!”. But I worry about everything. My God, there is so much to do! Will I actually know how to do it all? Will the work be miserable? Can I get it done in time? Will the results suck? Will I be disappointed, or worse, will I disappoint others? I don’t actually think these things, but they are there in my subconscious, carrying negative emotional weight, encouraging me to procrastinate and do things that I already know I’m good at or that are fun. I know that getting started early and working a little bit every day will get me to my goal and improve the odds of the project being a success. I know that simply completing the project will be worth the effort and expand my skills and knowledge. I know that I have always, without fail, looked back and been glad that I took on new projects. But I still start off with butterflies and worry.

I like to wrap my mind around a project, to see all the parts and how they fit together, to know what has to happen when to keep things moving. Sometimes projects are too complex for this. With those kinds of projects, I find myself raking leaves in the backyard, working out, or cleaning the house. I do not find myself working on the Really Big Project.

To deal with this, I sit down and plan it out on paper. I diagram how things have to happen, working at the 50,000 foot level at first. With the big picture is in place, I start to look at the smaller tasks that make up each part. This may take only one pass-through, or several, depending on just how big or intricate the project is. I then carve the project up into sections, creating mini-projects/milestones. These are usually groups of tasks with a specific outcome, like “create a price sheet for all my wedding photography products” or “prepare the foundation for waterproofing”. Clear cut, and simple. I try to keep these mini-projects in the six to eight step range. Fewer steps is better, since too many creeps me back toward anxiety. I also create milestone deadlines, which I remind myself of daily. Constant reminders of a deadline create a sense of urgency, which is a powerful motivational tool. Without both clear outcomes and deadlines, I tend to get mired down in distractions.

A “bird by bird” approach like this keeps down the perceived scale of projects, reducing my anxiety. It also allows me to see work accomplished, boosting my motivation to get more done. And if there are problems with resources, or skills shortcomings on my part, they are uncovered sooner rather than later, providing time to deal with them.

As I finish each mini-project, I review the overall project plan, make adjustments, and start on the next milestone. The closer I stick to this approach, the better my chances of accomplishing the project goal. What about you? How do you tackle complex projects?

Staying motivated is important. When my motivation for a project fades, I spend less time on it and my attention wanders to newer, fresher things. It doesn’t mean that the project is any less important to me; it’s just that my sense of urgency or enthusiasm isn’t what it was when I started. Knowing this, I make a conscious effort to do things to crank up my excitement. Most are small tasks that help keep a project on the front burners in my mind. I create environmental reminders of the project.

One of my major projects right now is relaunching my photography business. Here are a few steps I take to help me stay motivated.

Outside Accountability
I have a consultant that meet with monthly to discuss that status of the project, my progress since the last meeting, and my plans for the next month. A key to this tool is that it needs to be someone with whom you click and whom you respect. During the course of the month I think to myself, “I have to get this done, or explain to Bobby why I didn’t”.

Audiobooks
I am a big fan of audiobooks, and have one on marketing that I listen to repeatedly. “Book Yourself Solid” is a terrific source of motivation and ideas on marketing as a service professional. The author’s philosophy about the relationship between you and your clients, and the importance of integrity in all aspects of your life, resonate with me. Listening to this book while I’m in the car always gets me thinking about my business, and generally results in a few scribbled notes about activities I could do to move the business launch along. I would also insert podcasts in this area, as they tend to be timely and entertaining as well.

Reading
I don’t limit my reading to audiobooks either. I get six or seven photography and business magazines every month. I even schedule time to sit down and read them, and have a method for ‘processing’ them. I take notes while I read, and create tasks for myself to apply what I learn or do further research on the issues they cover. I cut out and scan articles on techniques I want to try, including reminders in my task-list to do so. I do the same thing with photography and business books.

Classes & Organizations
Additionally, I make sure that I take one class, attend a seminar, or do an online webinar at least once a month. Several organizations and vendors to professional photographers offer ongoing education opportunities. Nothing motivates me as much as being in a room with other photographers, learning about the solutions they found for problems that I’m facing. Instructors teaching me how to do something I always wanted to know, or maybe even something I didn’t realize was possible, is a great enthusiasm builder. There are several local organizations for photographers, who meet monthly to network and bring in guest speakers. I never leave these meetings without a desire to get home and get to work on my business.

Remind Yourself Why
At a seminar I recently attended, the speaker said “When the ‘why’ is strong enough, the ‘how’ becomes easy.” Stop for a second and really think about that. Seriously. I want you to take a second, think about just one of the goals you’re working towards, and consider that quote. I write my goals down every single day, and next to them I write why I am working toward them. Not once in a while, but every single day. And not perfunctorily either; but deliberately drawing up my emotions, ‘feeling’ why each is important. If you were to try only one of these focusing methods yourself, this should be it. If the ‘why’ underlying a project doesn’t motivate you, you should consider if you should be doing the project at all.

I’ve applied these same ideas successfully to other projects. For a fitness program, I’ve worked with a trainer, joined a gym, subscribed to fitness magazines & newsletters, taken a yoga class (I paid in advance to compel me to go to all of them), joined online groups, and tried to subscribe to an online fitness community (if you have an invite… I’d love one!). Learning a new language, renovating a home, searching for a new job, investing for the future (retirement or a child’s college), dating, and strengthening a relationship with partner; these are all “projects” that would benefit from these methods.

I am always interested in tools for staying on-task and accomplishing goals. I know some of you have done some pretty amazing things in your life, I’d love to hear how you did it; how you stayed motivated and drove yourself to your success.